This session will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of histocompatibility testing and transplant medicine. Participants will gain insights into how AI is enhancing processes such as virtual crossmatching and single-cell repertoire prospects, ultimately improving patient outcomes. Real-world examples will illustrate both the promise and limitations of these technologies. The presentations will also cover the transformative role of AI in solid organ (SOT) and Hematopoietic Cell transplant (HCT) and cell therapy clinical research. In addition, presenters will address ethical implications, data integrity concerns, and the need for thoughtful governance as AI becomes increasingly integrated into patient care. To learn more please click here.
The advancement of molecular HLA typing technologies, along with computational methods for analyzing B-cell and T-cell HLA determinants/targets (often referred to as "epitopes"), has led to the development of tools for assessing the degree of donor-recipient HLA disparity at the molecular level. This session will provide a historical overview of molecular HLA mismatch analysis, explore the various available tools, address their limitations, and critically evaluate the current clinical evidence regarding the use of these tools in transplant practices. To learn more please click here.
Therapies that harness the immune system's ability to target and destroy cancer cells revolutionized the treatment of hematologic malignances and continue to evolve at an accelerated pace. In this plenary session, experts in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells will inform us on advances that enable the use of these cellular therapies on a growing number of patients. We will learn how the expansion of the donor pool with mismatched unrelated donors, the use of personalized medicine to find donors for highly sensitized patients, and the accelerated production of CAR T cells open the pathway for patients who in the past had no access to these life-saving treatments. To learn more please click here.
Join us for an exciting session where we will explore how automation can level up laboratory capabilities. Discover how automation can enable a more robust testing algorithm. Learn how recent policy changes around virtual crossmatch are creating an impact. This session will provide valuable insights into optimizing your workflows, making sure your lab stays ahead of the curve. Kelley Hitchman: The PROs and Cons of Histocompatibility Laboratory Workflow Automation Luis Hidalgo: Virtual Crossmatch as a Laboratory Workflow Improvement Tool
The 2024 Dream Team is back! Workshop 1 will focus on Best Practices in HLA Antibody Interpretation and Virtual Crossmatching, expanding upon the success of prior years. The session will again be interactive with new cases for you to analyze, and the collective findings presented during the workshop which we expect will again incite lively discussion and learning.
Histocompatibility laboratories outside North America and Europe face multiple challenges of different nature. To properly support the established regional and neighboring stem-cell and solid-organ transplant programs, these laboratories have devised creative solutions to efficiently and effectively function under different pressures. In this workshop, the audience will learn about some of the challenges histocompatibility laboratories face in China, Iran and South Africa, three regions with prominent and long-established transplant programs. Creative solutions will be described with some lessons learned that can benefit practices outside of these regions. To learn more please click here.
This session is a continuation of the ‘Back to Basics’ workshop that has been held in the past two meetings. The focus is on some of the cells involved in antibody mediated rejection (AMR) including B cells, memory B cells, and NK cells. To learn more please click here.
**This session is by invitation only
**This session is by invitation only
**This session is by invitation only
**Don't forget to register for the 5k or 1 mile walk. If you haven't signed up, you may sign up onsite at the ASHI Registration Desk
Transplant diagnostics encompasses a variety of tests that are interpreted by transplant physicians for the management of transplant recipients. With improving technologies available to transplant diagnostics, the data generated from each test becomes increasingly abundant. Understanding the multi-dimensional complexity of the compilation of all transplant diagnostic results in a transplant cohort requires a different approach to data analysis. Systems biology aims to understand complex biological systems in a holistic manner. Rather than focusing on individual components of the data, systems biology examines possible interactions within networks that become evident within the data. These biological networks emerge and systems biology uses mathematical modeling of multi-omics data to represent biological processes and predict system behavior arising from perturbations to the system such as drugs or mutations. As the founding leader of the Paris Transplant Group, Dr. Alex Loupy is a world leader on applications of artificial intelligence to multi-organ transplantation analytics and transplant diagnostics. His research has redefined our understanding of graft rejection, provided value insights into the immunologic processes active in antibody-mediated rejection, and developed prognostic tools to estimate kidney transplant survival.
Allograft microvascular inflammation (MVI) is a hallmark histological feature of antibody-mediated allograft injury. However, microvascular inflammation most frequently occurs in the absence of detectable donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies. This highlights the need for a better understanding of the different phenotypes of MVI and the underlying mechanisms of allograft injury. This session will explore the different clinical presentations and outcomes of the Banff phenotypes of MVI and will discuss the role of the adaptive and innate immune responses in MVI beyond HLA-DSA. To learn more please click here.
Cathy Gebhart: Practical Applications and Challenges of Molecular ABO Genotyping Esme Dijke: ABO Histocompatibility for the 21st Century William Lane: ABO Allele Tables: Past, Present, & Future
Virtual crossmatching (vXM) has proven to be a valuable tool in organ transplantation, allowing for greater efficiency during allocation and acceptance. Since the recognition of its validity from regulatory bodies, utilization has steeply risen and use of vXM has become routine practice. This workshop has been designed to discuss relevance of the vXM, in both OPO and recipient laboratories, as well as its impact on transplant outcomes. To learn more please click here.
In this workshop, attendees will learn about and experiment with some of the lab tools that were created to enable the efficient handling of primary HLA laboratory data and multiple caveats of HLA matching for transplant. Through some carefully crafted examples and case studies, you will learn about some common pitfalls to avoid that could have potential clinical impacts and some established collaborations that will result in more tools to benefit HLA laboratory practices. Lastly, attendees of this workshop will get an overview of how ASHI proficiency Testing (PT) data are processed and some areas of improvement. **Please prepare for this session by completing the following steps: click here To learn more please click here.
Join us for a brief Laboratory Developed Tests (LDT) update, followed by a Histo-drama that brings real-world scenarios seen throughout the HLA community to life!
Going to work can be challenging, especially when the environment isn’t meeting your needs! What do you do in this situation? Do you hide in a corner and cry? Do you tough it out until retirement? Or explore opportunities that align better with your goals? Though it may not be a Broadway production, we promise you will enjoy it, all while discussing and exploring creative approaches to improve tech retention! We hope you will walk away with ideas that you can implement in your own labs!
To learn more please click here.
The Director Affairs Committee is proud to present the 2025 Director's Forum at the 51st Annual Meeting in Orlando. This will include a panel of expert colleagues to discuss the latest topics that affect our community. Speakers include the chairs of the QAS Committee, DTRC Committee, and ACHI Exam Committee.
Join ASHI’s Technologists’ Affairs Committee for the Laboratory Professionals Forum as we play Never Have I Ever: Laboratory Edition! We will discuss common feelings and scenarios associated with everyday HLA lab work and learn how to cope and handle them from our peers’ experiences. Also, we will have the pleasure of hearing from a local stem cell recipient (Advent Health Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program), as well as from the family of a local donor hero (OurLegacy) who gave five people the gift of sight and now advocates in the community for safe driving! These stories are powerful, and we hope they remind you how your work comes full circle; never forgetting how vital the lab is to those it serves!
Sex influences both access to transplantation and post-transplant outcomes across multiple organ systems and cell therapies. This Women in Transplantation session will synthesize current evidence on disparities, highlight biological and sociocultural drivers, and discuss opportunities to promote equity in research and practice. Studies in heart transplantation show that women face longer wait times and underutilization of mechanical circulatory support (Roopa Rao et al., 2025, Current Cardiology Reports). In kidney transplantation, women are more likely to serve as living donors yet less likely to receive transplants, with sensitization and immune differences contributing to inequity (Nautiyal et al., 2024, Front Nephrol). In liver transplantation, disparities persist: females experience lower access, and Hispanic women face worse outcomes and organ offers (Locke et al., JAMA Surg 2020; Shelton et al., Transplant Direct 2023; Sosa et al., Transplant Direct 2023). Lung transplantation demonstrates similar inequities, with women less likely to be listed, waiting longer, and undergoing transplant at lower rates (Saito et al., J Heart Lung Transplant 2021; Brown et al., Respir Res 2024). In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), donor–recipient sex mismatch influences alloimmune responses: male donors yield higher stem cell counts, but female recipients achieve superior survival (Kim et al., Transplantation 2016; Islam et al., ASTCT J 2021). Beyond outcomes, women remain underrepresented in clinical trials and leadership roles. Integrating sex- and gender-based analyses (Mannon et al., 2022, Front Immunol) and addressing sociocultural barriers (Puoti et al., 2016, Biol Sex Differ) are critical.
This plenary session will explore cutting-edge discoveries in the role of HLA molecules in shaping autoimmune responses. Speakers will highlight how HLA-B*27 presents bacterial and self-antigens to pathogenic CD8 T cells to induce ankylosing spondilitis, and how the islet microenvironment drives neoepitope formation to drive DQ8-restricted T cell response in type 1 diabetes. The session will also delve into the genetic and immunological underpinnings of autoimmune brain disorders, offering a broad perspective on HLA-associated disease mechanisms across organ systems. To learn more please click here.
Donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) has demonstrated strong diagnostic and clinical utility in transplant rejection monitoring. As applications continue to expand into longitudinal surveillance and therapeutic response monitoring, the need for rapid, decentralized access to results is increasing. Technologies like digital PCR (dPCR) empower researchers to develop assays with lower detection limits, direct quantitation, and results within a single day turnaround, all features which are crucial for decentralizing access to dd-cfDNA testing. In this session, we introduce GraftAssureIQ™, a ddPCR-based test kit designed for local laboratory implementation, delivering same-day turnaround time and dual quantification of dd-cfDNA (absolute and fractional). Developed on the Bio-Rad QX600 dPCR system and leveraging preselected SNPs of high global minor allele frequency, GraftAssureIQ enables more timely clinical insights and expands access to this critical biomarker beyond centralized reference labs—supporting a future where precision transplant care is both accessible and actionable at the point of need.
No registration required! Join us in giving back to the local community by packing Bravery Bags for Mended Little Hearts, a non-profit organization that supports families of children who are hospitalized with serious heart conditions, including those facing heart transplant. Bravery Bags are filled with toiletry items, comfort items, educational resources and handwritten notes of encouragement. The bags provide families with some of the things they may need during a hospital stay, but more importantly, they let the family know they are not alone—that there are people out there who care about them and are there to support them.
A new strategy for systematically classifying HLA alleles into associated antigens was recently approved by the W.H.O. Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System. The use of HLA Serotypes will facilitate virtual crossmatches and donor specific antibody assessments by offering a formal definition of antigens and informing the implementation of single antigen bead panels that encompass all clinically relevant variants. To learn more please click here.
Finding suitable donors for highly sensitized patients remains a significant challenge within solid organ transplantation. The number of immunologic therapies that target the production of HLA antibodies has greatly expanded in recent years. This session will provide an up-to-date view of the mechanisms by which HLA antibody is produced by plasma cells as well as state-of-the-art approaches to the desensitization of kidney and heart transplant patients. To learn more please click here.
This session will explore recent clinical breakthroughs in immunotherapy that target tumor-associated antigens presented by HLA molecules on the cell surface. Speakers will highlight newly approved therapies alongside translational strategies and emerging clinical data shaping the future of precision oncology.